Top honors don’t come easily. Frying Pan Farm Hand Becca Berglie has earned them.

Becca has won the 2021 Virginia 4-H Youth in Action Agriculture Award, and she’s been named a Virginia 4-H All-Star. That’s the highest recognition a Virginia 4-H member can receive!

These honors come on top of Berglie serving in many 4-H leadership roles at the local, county and state levels. She also co-founded the Virginia 4-H Equity and Inclusion Task Force. She did all this while still in high school.

“Becca has achieved so much at such a young age” said Frying Pan Operations Manager Paul Nicholson. “I’m proud to have her at Frying Pan Farm Park, and I look forward to hearing great things about her for years to come.”

4-H is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is the largest youth development organization in America. 4-H gets its name from its original motto: “Head, heart, hands, health.” About six years ago, Berglie became a member of the Hoofers and Heifers 4-H club, which partners with Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, Va.

“When the opportunity for me to start volunteering at the park, originally through 4-H, was given to me, I jumped on it,” Berglie said.

After almost five years as a volunteer, Berglie was officially hired as a farm hand in 2020. In this role, she helps care for the 100+ animals that live at Frying Pan Farm Park.

“Through these small acts of education, I hope that a farm visitor starts to connect the dots between the cow they milked and their favorite ice cream, creating agricultural connections and awareness,” Berglie said.

She plans to study agricultural sciences, leadership and social change at Virginia Tech.

Author Lois Kirkpatrick is the Marketing and Development Coordinator at Frying Pan Farm Park.